100 Unhealthiest Fast Foods on the Planet

As an avid reader of Eat This, Not That!, you likely order one of the healthiest fast food options on the menu. However, if you’re not paying close attention to the nutrition facts and order based on name alone, sometimes opting for the most wholesome-sounding sandwich can leave you noshing on a nutritional nightmare. (Just take a look at #55!)

To help you make the right decision at the drive-thru, we’ve compiled the 100 unhealthiest fast foods on the planet—so you know exactly which picks to avoid when you’re looking to refuel on the run.

The most unhealthy fast food orders are either the highest-calorie, highest-fat, or highest-sugar options on their joint’s menu; and some meals even win the crown of all three!

Courtesy of Burger King

The absolute worst breakfast at BK comes with the whole shebang—scrambled eggs, hash browns, sausage, a biscuit and three pancakes topped with syrup. You’ll find it listed dead-last on our list of every fast food breakfast item—ranked!

Courtesy of Taco Bell

This extra-extra-large burrito comes stuffed with about an entire day’s worth of heart-harming sodium and saturated fat.

Courtesy of KFC

While a hearty pot pie comes packed with fiber-filled peas and carrots, Colonel Sanders’ version comes laced with appetite-spiking MSG and inflammatory hydrogenated oils.

Courtesy of Arby's

This fluffy biscuit topped with warm gravy and savory sausage will add nearly 1,000 calories to your plate and a measly 3 grams of fiber that downright doesn’t justify the outrageous carb count.

Mike G./Yelp

Whether they’re cut into rings or rods, these deep-fried onion chips shouldn’t be added to your drive-thru dinner.

@Chipotle/Twitter

Served with White Rice, Black Beans, Fajita Veggies, Roasted Chili-Corn Salsa, Romaine, Sour Cream, Cheese, and Guac

Jam-packed with all your favorite fixings, this XL burrito definitely earns a place on our list of most unhealthy fast food because it’s laced with a beltline-busting 3,050 milligrams of sodium—that’s the same amount in 244 of Snyder’s Mini Pretzels! If you’ve already eaten this and you’re looking to de-bloat and feel slimmer, don’t miss these ways to shrink your belly.

@Subway/Twitter

Sure, it’s oozing with melted Monterey cheddar and topped with crispy bacon, but is this creamy footlong really worth its preposterous calorie count?

Courtesy of Checkers

This scary sandwich doubles up on the beef, triples up on the cheese, and quadruples the bacon—but will it quintuple your risk of heart disease?

Courtesy of McDonald's

A 40-piece order of chicken nuggets has the highest amount of both calories in fat out of all Mickey D’s offerings, deeming it more like an outrageous food challenge than a drive-thru lunch.

Stacey U./Yelp

Even if you can stop yourself from reaching for another slice, one bacon-ranch triangle will cost you about half a day’s worth of sodium and a half-gram of heart-health-harming trans fat, which the FDA considers to be not safe for consumption and has actually banned from being used in packaged foods.

Courtesy of Chick-fil-A

We’re noticing a trend here: It seems like the ranch-spiked picks are the worst fast foods on the planet, and this seemingly innocent salad is no exception!

Courtesy of Wendy's

The American Heart Association recommends getting no more than one percent of your calories from trans fats—so if you’re following a 2,000-calorie diet, this troubling burger has two days’ worth of the heart harmer.

Courtesy of Sonic

Catching up with old friends over beers and wings shouldn’t cost your waistline these absurd nutritionals. Even if you’re splitting this sweet and savory order with a pal, you’ll be ingesting over a thousand calories and two days’ worth of added sugar, which the USDA recommends to be capped at 50 grams per day.

Courtesy of Dairy Queen

When the chicken strip cravings hit, be sure you’re avoiding this metabolism-wrecking basket and nosh on a 6-piece Chicken McNuggets order for just 270 calories instead.

@PizzaHut/Twitter

Pepperoni, beef, ham, bacon, mozzarella, and two types of sausage grace this meaty pie. Pizza Hut’s meat-centric pick may be a carnivore’s dream, but it’ll be your health’s nightmare if consumed on the reg.

Ian C./Yelp

With over a grand of calories and 23 grams of cholesterol-spiking saturated fat, Jack in the Box should banish this bloating burger.

Courtesy of Jimmy John's

Piled high with salami, sliced smoked ham, capicola, roast beef, turkey, and provolone, Jimmy boasts that this sandwich is “huge enough to feed the hungriest of all humans!” We think that’s still no excuse to down over a thousand calories in one sitting.

James R./Yelp

Instead of inhaling a thousand-calorie lunch, go with the lighter Little Hamburger with BBQ sauce, grilled mushrooms, and grilled onions and salvage your hard-earned flat tummy.

Courtesy of Whataburger

Drive-thru-lovin’ Texans should steer clear of this nutritional nightmare. It’s loaded with saturated-fat-filled hydrogenated oils, inflammatory soybean oil, MSG, and sketchy preservatives.

Courtesy of Bojangles'

Don’t let the 18 grams of fiber and 60 grams of protein fool you: This jambalaya bowl is jam-packed with the same amount of saturated fat as over six large orders of McDonald’s greasy fries.

Courtesy of Taco John's

This morning meal is stuffed with healthful ingredients such as fluffy eggs, poblano peppers, onions, tomatoes, but is then tainted with two major sources of saturated fat: cheddar cheese and nacho cheese.

Courtesy of In-n-Out

If you find yourself on the west coast, go for In-N-Out’s Hollywood-approved protein-style burger with onion, which features a freshly grilled patty sandwiched between lettuce leaves, and will cost you a slim 240 calories.

Courtesy of Cinnabon

If you’re one of the victims of Cinnabon’s crazy-good aroma, be sure to skip the cinnamon-infused, caramel- and pecan-topped bun when wafting in.

Courtesy of Einstein Bros.

We love eggs for their high protein content and weight-loss-friendly nutrients, but even a genius would know that waking up to a nearly-thousand-calorie egg sandwich is a poor choice.

Mike L./Yelp

No, Church’s didn’t misspell Cobb—this giant sandwich stands for “Chicken Of Breast” but comes jammed with 55 grams of fat rather than lean poultry breast.

John L./Yelp

Starting your day with sausages wrapped in pretzel bread is never a smart idea, even when you’re on the go. If you’re short on time and need to refuel, grab one of these healthy fast food breakfasts under 360 calories.

@JambaJuice/Twitter

This hearty smoothie bowl is brimming with ingredients we love such as bananas, Greek yogurt, and peanut butter. The downside? It also has 58 grams of sugar—the same amount present in over 12 Oreo cookies!

Courtesy of Quiznos

A classic Mediterranean diet has been shown to improve heart health and help you lose weight, but this sandwich is a total black sheep. It’s stuffed with processed meats such as salami and pepperoni and further fattened with mozzarella.

Courtesy of Einstein Bros.

Wake up to this eggy sandwich and you’ll consume just 200 milligrams shy of your full day’s allotment of sodium before the 2 p.m. slump hits.

Courtesy of McDonald's

Consider this super-sized burger the Big Mac’s wicked twin: It’s got a half-pound of beef, two times the amount of special sauce and two slices of cheese sandwiched between an extra slice of bread, lettuce, and onions.

@BurgerKing/Twitter

When the sandwich’s slogan is “There’s no such thing as too much bacon,” you know you’re getting a wallop of heart-taxing saturated and trans fats.

Courtesy of McDonald's

Order this ginormous breakfast platter from McDonald’s and you’ll ingest nearly a day’s worth of calories and sodium before lunchtime.

Eat This, Not That!

This nacho-chip-and-chicken-nugget hybrid comes packed with a belt-busting amount of fat and laundry list of artificial ingredients.

Shutterstock

Skip the classic southern calorie bomb and go for the loaded chicken wrap to forgo the food coma and save your beltline 490 calories.

Courtesy of Dairy Queen

The metabolism-spiking effects of the spicy jalapenos are no match for the sleep-inducing serving size of melted cheese, crispy bacon, and half-pound of beef in this burger.

Courtesy of Whataburger

Mushroom and Swiss cheese may sound like an innocent combination, but when you pile those two ingredients high over a mound of oil-slicked beef, you’re looking at Whataburger’s fattiest burger on the menu.

Courtesy of Raising Cane's

What do you get when you combine six chicken fingers, crinkle-cut fries, two servings of Cane’s sauce, Texas toast, and a side of coleslaw? Raising Cane’s most-caloric menu item and some serious post-meal bloat.

Courtesy of Culver's

Walleye is a high-protein source of omega-3s, but when it’s battered in empty carbs and fried in inflammatory oils—and then paired with tartar sauce, fries, coleslaw, and a dinner roll—it renders a dish that’s a complete dietary disaster.

Courtesy of Little Caesars

Following up your hot-n-ready pizza with a whole order of these cinnamon-loaded crazy bites is a pretty crazy idea if you ask us. In fact, this sweet treat packs in as much sugar as two Starbucks’ Grande Unicorn Frappuccinos made with whole milk and topped with whipped cream!

Courtesy of Moe's Southwest Grill

Served With Adobo Chicken, Black Beans, Cilantro Lime Rice, Corn Pico, Cheese, Guac, Queso, and Bacon

Moe’s is infamous for offering free chips and salsa with every order; but If you’re scarfing down a 1,200-calorie burrito, your best bet would be to skip the gratis sides.

Hardee's/Facebook

Hardee’s dishes up a burger that’s got about a day-and-a-half’s worth of blood-pressure-raising salt, a whole day’s worth of calories, and—get this—two days’ worth of LDL-ballooning trans fat.

Courtesy of Starbucks

Craving the moist, ruby-hued dessert? Forgo this caloric frapp and opt for an indulgent serving of Halo Top’s red velvet pint. A half-cup boasts just 90 calories, 3 grams of fat, and 7 grams of sugar while packing in 5 grams of satiating protein.

Courtesy of Bojangles'

Order Bojangle’s bowl filled with a folded egg, gravy, sausage and bacon crumbles, shredded cheese, and a biscuit on the side, and you’ll be looking at over 1,200 calories before taking your lunch break.

Courtesy of Zaxby's

While the buffalo-sauce-slathered chicken fingers may be to blame for the majority of the calories in this dish, it’s the insidious crinkle fries and coleslaw that accompany the protein that come in second and third place, boasting a walloping 142 calories and 98 calories, respectively.

Courtesy of Taco John's

Nachos are commonly ordered as a side dish, except this mountain of tortilla chips smothered in nacho cheese, beef, refried beans, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, black olives, guacamole, and sour cream sounds more like a full-blown cheat meal.

Susan W./Yelp

The shack’s cheeseburger comes with two patties of beef drowned in melted cheese and ShackSauce, rendering a nutritional nightmare that packs in nearly 900 calories.

Courtesy of Del Taco

Skip this monster roll-up and order the lighter Original Chicken Roller, which boasts just 250 calories, 9 grams of fat, and 14 grams of muscle-maintaining protein.

Courtesy of Dunkin' Donuts

Coffee is a wonderful metabolism booster, especially when paired with a high-protein breakfast. Unfortunately, this java-flavored muffin won’t help rev your fat-burning furnace or help you banish the muffin top.

Courtesy of Tim Hortons

Order this bagel stuffed with processed meats and you’ll ingest nearly a day’s worth of sodium in one sitting.

Kat Enrera/Pinterest

Shopping sprees can really work up an appetite, but if you find yourself stuck in the midst of a massive mall food court, skip Sbarro’s meaty lasagna.

Courtesy of Baskin Robbins

Instead of pairing a rich brownie with two scoops of ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream, nuts, and a decorative cherry, opt for a 170-calorie Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookie from the creamery to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Just N./Yelp

This hefty finger food will add over a thousand calories to your plate—before even pairing it with any accompanying sauces!

Courtesy of Au Bon Pain

A ciabatta roll is moistened with horseradish aioli and then piled high with beef, pickled red onions, roasted peppers, and three-cheese blend to create this caloric monstrosity.

Courtesy of Panera Bread

The kitchen sink cookie may be the ultimate chocolate-laced, caramel-swirled sweet-tooth-satisfier, but is it really worth two day’s worth of saturated fat?

Veggies and guacamole are some of our go-to sandwich stuffers thanks to their high healthy fat and fiber contents. However, this footlong is living proof that too much of a good thing can be pretty bad—especially when it means you’ll be consuming the second-highest-calorie sub on the Quiznos menu.

Kristin H./Yelp

With an insane 720 calories and 103 grams of sugar in this shake, you’ll salvage your waistline by pouring a bowl of Toucan Sam’s nostalgic cereal instead.

Courtesy of McDonald's

Who knew that the soft serve and chocolate candy combo would be available in a 16-ounce cup? If you’re really craving something cold and sweet, opt for the snack size and save 510 calories, 18 grams of fat, and 70 grams of sugar.

Courtesy of Sonic

This shake is spun with vanilla ice cream, cookie dough chunks, chocolate chips, and peanut butter swirls, and—get this—has more fat than 5 McDonald’s Big Macs and about 42 Oreos’ worth of sugar!

Damien L./Yelp

This seasoned side racks up as many calories as a guilt-ridden cheat meal. Skip the cajun fries and pair your popcorn shrimp with a light side, like the green beans or coleslaw.

Carolen M./Yelp

This super-sized sip is jam-packed with 10-and-a-half times the sugar as Krispy Kreme’s Original Glazed Doughnut. That scary comparison should be enough to deter you from pairing your burger with this shake.

Courtesy of Cinnabon

This shake is essentially a cinnamon bun pulverized into sweet, sippable calories. In other words, salvage your hard-earned beach bod by skipping this sip.

Courtesy of Zaxby's

Coming in hard with two sources of refined carbs—crinkle fries and Texas toast—and two types of fat-packed sauces, there’s no reason you shouldn’t avoid the things and wings on this jam-packed plate.

Courtesy of Del Taco

Skip these super-loaded nachos at Del Taco and opt for their Grilled Chicken Taco, which comes packed with 12 grams of protein for just 210 calories.

Courtesy of Dunkin' Donuts

Rather than starting your a.m. by stopping by DD and picking up this sausage, egg, and cheese breakfast as is, opt for swapping the buttery croissant for an English muffin to save 150 calories and 17 grams of fat.

Shutterstock

Baskin Robbins piles a boatload of ice cream and your favorite toppings in addition to almonds, whipped cream, and maraschino cherries over two banana slices. If you’re not sharing this traditional treat with at least four friends, skip it altogether.

Shawn T./Yelp

Pecans are a nutritional powerhouse thanks to their potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, and slimming oleic acid. However, the subtly sweet nuts don’t have the means to work their magic when they’re adulterated with over 48 grams of sugar.

@Smashburger/Twitter

As if the 950-calorie cookie concoction didn’t have an absurd nutrition panel to begin with, Smashburger allows thirsty guests to add malt to their shakes—a waist-widening add-on that endows the cup with an extra 30 calories and 3 grams of sugar.

While good, unsaturated fats are necessary for keeping your skin lush and locks long, the fats in this salty pretzel are quite detrimental to your health.

Courtesy of Wienerschnitzel

Chocolate-covered strawberries make for a wonderful antioxidant-packed snack. Except this scary shake taints the classic combo with a preposterous amount of belly-ballooning calories, fat, and sugar.

Courtesy of Sbarro

Chicken parm isn’t the optimal lunch choice when you’re trying to get lean for swimsuit season. However, this 1,280-calorie bad boy from Sbarro is an absolute no-go during any time of year.

Courtesy of Starbucks

With slow-cooked herbed chicken and double-smoked bacon piled on an apple brioche slathered with maple mustard, we can’t blame you for wanting to bite into this finger-licking delicious ‘wich. If you’re tempted to order this with your latte, split it with a friend.

Lincy H./Yelp

As if all the refined carbs in the macaroni weren’t enough to deem this dish a waistline foe, Panera had to nestle the cheesy noodles in a giant edible bowl made out of bread. If you’re looking to eat healthy at Panera, you won’t want to miss our report: Panera’s menu—ranked!

Courtesy of Shake Shack

If you wouldn’t throw 17 Oreos into the blender, why would you sip on this hefty milkshake that packs in the sugar equivalent?

@Smashburger/Twitter

Mushrooms are a wonderful low-cal weight loss tool thanks to their slimming fiber and phytonutrients. Unfortunately, this fungi loses all of its waist-trimming capabilities when coupled with the caloric counterparts—buttered bun, truffle mayo, and breaded chicken—in this monster sandwich.

Courtesy of Cold Stone

The classic milk and cookies combo gets an extra caloric helping thanks to a heaping dose of sweet cream ice cream. Cold Stone’s 20-ounce franken-shake delivers over five days’ worth of sugar!

AlexNadar R/Yelp

At first glance, a bagel meshed with ingredients such as roasted turkey, arugula, and tomatoes doesn’t sound like it’s deserving of a spot on our worst fast foods list. However, the sandwich is so stacked that it manages to supply a full day’s worth of sodium.

Courtesy of Papa Murphy's

Unless you’re sharing with a large, ravenous crowd, odds you’ll indulge in only one slice of pizza are very low. That being said, a mere slice of Papa Murphy’s meaty pie packs in almost 500 calories and an absurd amount of fat and sodium thanks to the double layer of crust stuffed with red sauce, whole-milk mozzarella, two types of bacon, pepperoni, sausage, crispy bacon, ground beef, and cheddar. Now that’s a (literal and figurative) mouthful.

Blimpie/Facebook

The Blimp sub at Subway’s competitor is a giant mashup of turkey, roast beef, prosciuttini, salami, pepperoni, provolone, sweet peppers, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onion, mayo, vinegar, oil, and oregano. While we’re all for many of the fresh ingredients this sub features, the meats are way too saturated in sodium for this meal to be considered remotely acceptable.

Hungry Howie's/Facebook

This 11th largest pizza joint in the U.S. crafts its popular pie with buffalo sauce, grilled chicken breast, red onions, cheddar, and mozzarella—a combo that amounts to an insane 440 calories per slice. How famished must one be to throw caution to the wind and order Hungry Howie’s outrageous pie?

Caribou Coffee/Facebook

Caribou Coffee outdid itself with this frozen chocolate shake that features almost a full day’s worth of calories. And if you ask us, no sip is worth 31 grams of artery-clogging saturated fat and 101 grams of diabetes-triggering sugar.

Courtesy of Papa Murphy's

Cheesy bread sounds like it would be a pre-meal app, but with 1,760 calories, this loaf seems more like an atrocious dietary disaster. With over 250 grams of carbs, we’re giving this pick a hard pass.

Allie S./Yelp

Everyone can use a sweet little pick-me-up from time to time, but there are way better choices than Krispy Kreme’s apple fritter. While the glazed treat is baked with real apples and cinnamon, that’s still no excuse to consume a day’s worth of added sugars in one sitting.

Courtesy of Captain D's

The farther you glaze down the nutritional panel of this seafood feast, the more frightening it gets. Almost 4,000 calories, this mix of batter-dipped fish, twelve crispy butterfly shrimp, three seafood-stuffed crab shells, and twelve hush puppies packs in an astonishing 16 grams of trans fat and over three days’ worth of heart-taxing sodium.

Courtesy of Dickie's Barbecue

As if the blend of oily meats didn’t contribute to the insane fat and sodium contents, Dickie’s had to string in cheddar cheese.

Captain D's/Facebook

If you’re opting for fried shrimp with hushpuppies and two sides, the last thing you should do is order 15 pieces of the crustacean!

Courtesy of Jersey Mike's

A cheesesteak is never a sound option, but drenching it with blue cheese just bumps up the already sky-high fat content.

Courtesy of El Pollo Loco

Whether it’s free or off the menu, starting your meal with a salty and carby side is never a smart choice. This Mexican-inspired app just happens to pack in more calories than you’d like in an entire meal.

Courtesy of Jason's Deli

Made with heavy cream and a generous helping of cheese, we’re not surprised this dish contains more fat than seven servings of cheddar cheese.

Dennis T/Yelp

No true kahuna would choose a 790-calorie ‘wich for lunch. The sub is stuffed with grilled onions, peppers, mushrooms, jalapeños, and an extra helping of melted white American cheese.

Yolanda M/Yelp

Sure, veggies and protein-packed tofu make for a filling lunch—but no one should ever choose to consume almost 1,700 calories in one sitting. This Thai-inspired bowl packs in a bloat-inducing amount of sodium and sugar to top it off.

George E./Yelp

Opt for this dietary disaster and you’ll consume more salt than in almost five large packs of Mickey D’s fries.

Cathy C./Yelp

If you’re looking to refuel on the fly, this protein shake will just undo all your hard work at the gym.

Jason's Deli/Facebook

Jason’s Deli’s baked potato meal is nothing but plain. Clocking in at 1,610 calories, this baked potato is loaded with cheddar, sour cream, butter, bacon, and green onions for a truly frightening feast.

Courtesy of Dickie's Barbecue

What happens when crunchy corn chips meet chopped beef brisket and melty cheddar cheese? You get a ginormous meal that packs in more salt than over six packs of McDonald’s large fries.

Craigers S./Yelp

If you’re craving a BLT, opt for making your own at home with low-sodium turkey bacon, quality mayo, tomatoes, and sprouted bread.

Jay B/Yelp

This spicy seafood dish sounds like a protein-packed choice, as it is. But the high content of the muscle-building macro doesn’t do the 99 grams of sugar justice!

Courtesy of Hungry Howie's

Chicken parm on a plate sounds like a lighter option than ordering it on your go-to roll—but definitely not in this case. The cheese-smothered poultry lays on a bed of white spaghetti, skyrocketing this dish’s carb count to a blood-sugar-spiking 516 grams.

Caribou Coffee/Facebook

Over a thousand calories? Check. Over a day’s worth of saturated fat? You got it. And about three days’ worth of added sugar? Yup. This cookie-filled cooler is no way to start the day.

Michelle M./Yelp

Don’t be fooled by the thin tortilla—this lunch option is no waistline-slimming pick. Go for the Skinny Zesty Egg White, which features egg whites, turkey sausage, Swiss cheese, and sun-dried tomato spread on a skinny everything bagel.

Courtesy of Quiznos

In addition to piling on the sliced turkey, Quiznos adds a few slices of bacon, cheddar, and a dollop of fatty mayo to the mix. If you’re in the mood for a lunch that doesn’t require utensils, go for the good-for-you options in our exclusive report, the best and worst fast food burgers.